Nautiluspokal

The shells used to make these cups came from a type of squid found in the Pacific, and were considered desirable by the curiosity collectors of the time. Starting in the mid-1500s these shells were mounted in silver and gold, as they are here. The conch shell’s lovely shape and lustre inspired Wallbaum to use the birth of Venus as his main motif. This motif, where the goddess of love, Venus, is given birth by the sea and washed ashore in a shell, was well known and frequently used in the art of antiquity and the Renaissance.  

The nautilus shell is supported by Triton (god of the sea), who is resting on a round base featuring reliefs of sea gods and sea horses. The shell itself is mounted in foliage with a figure of a satyr in the front, accompanied by nereids (sea nymphs), crabs and turtles, with small shells hanging from their beaks. At the top of the cover, Venus stands on the wheel of time and a winged globe, which in turn is resting on a turtle, the symbol of longevity. Behind Venus a putto (small boy) sits on the back of a large fish holding a bearded man in its mouth – probably referring to Jonah being swallowed by the whale, a Bible story that symbolises divine love. In front of Venus sits Amor, who is preparing to shoot his arrows. This represents physical love.

Here Wallbaum has represented one of the favourite motifs of Neoplatonism (a period of Platonic philosophy in late antiquity): the victory of love over materiality and time (Venus), complemented by an allegory of divine (platonic) and physical love. The free movement of the sculpture and the plasticity of the ornamentation reflect the spirit of the late Renaissance, and confirm the leading role played by Mathaeus Wallbaum in goldsmith art. Among Wallbaum’s other well-known works is King Christian IV’s silver altar in Copenhagen